Pinarello has dismissed the threat of legal action over the design of its new Dogma F10, saying that it "will not tolerate...unsupported allegations of being an infringer or a 'thief'."
In a letter to the Italian company on Tuesday, Victor Major, the CEO of Taiwanese bike brand Velocite, said that Pinarello's new bike infringed on his patents for a "concave down tube", and claimed that he had also contacted Pinarello with concerns after the a similar design was used on the Bolide time trial bike release in May 2016.
In a public response to the letter, Pinarello said that it "takes Intellectual Property issues with the utmost seriousness" and criticised Mr Major for failing to provide "essential information" in his communications with Pinarello.
"While it is true that Mr Major, through his Taiwanese law firm, wrote to Pinarello on July 2016," read the letter, "it is also true that Pinarello promptly answered, through its law firm, clearly and unmistakably pointing out that Mr Major’s communication was lacking essential information since it did not identify which of Pinarello’s products were contested nor did it give any explanation as to why such products would allegedly infringe Mr Major’s patents."
The down tube of the Pinarello Dogma F10 (left) compared with the Velocite Syn
Pinarello's letter goes on to say that Mr Major could expect a reply when he provided said "essential information", finally painting Major's open letter as an attempt to gain publicity.
"Although Pinarello can understand that his behavior may procure Mr Major a rise in his notoriety, that same behaviour is deeply unfair, since Mr Major himself is perfectly aware that he chose not to discuss the issue with Pinarello.
"Cicli Pinarello SpA was, and is, available to discuss the matter with Mr Major, but will not tolerate and will take appropriate actions against any unsupported allegation, explicit or implicit, of being an infringer or a 'thief'."
The dispute had arisen after Major published an open letter on Monday, where he accused Pinarello of having infringed on his patents for a concave down tube, a prominent feature of the new Dogma F10 that Pinarello claims to help reduce drag by 12.6 per cent.
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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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